How to meditate

I’ll be honest, I never was good at meditating but I try sometimes. Here are 6 steps that might help you focus your mind.

Sit quietly and close your eyes.

Begin to deliberately notice sensory input that you’re receiving. Notice the sound of your breathing, notice the sound of your computer running, notice the feeling of the temperature of the air, the feeling of what you’re sitting on. Do this without focusing on any specific sense.

Begin to deliberately notice that you’re having thoughts. Some of them might be about what you’re sensing. Some might be memories. Some might be hopes, or fears, or dreams. Just notice that they’re happening without putting any particular attention on any one thought.

After a while of this, notice that your thoughts are not continuous, but rather that they come in spurts, with a space between them – like train cars, or birds in the sky. For a while, simply notice that this space exists.

Allow your attention to move more and more to the space between each of your thoughts. Notice that this space is like a chalkboard – it provides a place for your thoughts to exist in.

Allow your awareness to become fully immersed in that space. If you find yourself getting focused on any particular thought, gently guide yourself back to the space that comes after it and before the next one. Continue until you feel it is time to stop.